There was a time in the not-too-distant past when "the state of Florida" and the term "trophy bucks" were never used in the same sentence.

That's all changed, however, as hunters and landowners have learned to keep deer herds at manageable levels, and protect the bucks as they get older.

The state's largest typical buck remains a 14-pointer Larry Furr killed in 1977 in Gadsden County. That deer scored a whopping 168 1/8 points on the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system.

While there haven't been a lot of 160-class deer taken in Florida, every year a number of bucks are killed that score in the 140s and 150s.

For this issue of Florida Game & Fish, we've talked to wildlife biologists of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and consulted the Florida Buck Registry (FBR) -- the record book of trophy Florida deer -- to see where the big deer have been produced, and where they'll likely come from in the 2006-07 season.

TOP COUNTIES
No. 1 -- Marion County
Some might argue there are better counties in the state for killing an exceptional buck, but it's hard to argue with the facts. The FBR shows more than 250 racks on the list from Marion County, surpassing all other counties in the state.

Wildlife biologist Mike Abbott said that historically, most of the bigger deer in the county came from the Ocala National Forest or nearby privately owned tracts. But due to increased hunting pressure, the deer herd in Ocala is fairly young.

The bigger deer are coming off private parcels around the forest or the horse farms in the northwest part of the county. Abbott said some of the horse farms allow limited hunting of the wooded margins, where some excellent bucks are occasionally killed.

It pays to find the enclaves of well-protected private property and seek permission to hunt them.

There's no better example than James Cason's typical 12-point that scored a hefty 151 5/8, downed on private property Nov. 26, 2004. Cason's deer matured and developed not far from a busy area of the county.

In addition to the 382,000-acre Ocala National Forest, other public lands in the county include the 8,700-acre Ft. McCoy WMA and 2,900-acre Gores Landing Unit of the Ocklawaha WMA.

No. 2 -- Madison County
When all the 2005-06 deer are scored, there'll be well over 150 bucks listed on the FBR from Madison County. Among them are 55 that scored more than 125 B&C.

In the late 1970s and early '80s, few people mentioned Madison County as a big deer area. But in the ensuing years, hunting clubs and landowners who practiced quality deer management have demonstrated this county's potential.

Wildlife biologist Matt Pollock offered that Madison has good soil, particularly north of Interstate 10.

That means the county has clay in the soil, and there are nutrients. Farm crops and wild plants pick up the nutrients, which are passed on when deer eat the plants.

No. 3 -- Jefferson County
Wildlife biologist Arlo Kane noted that many of the things that apply to Madison County apply to neighboring Jefferson County as well.

Kane explained that the "red hills soils" of South Georgia extend through Leon County and into Jefferson.